


Dziadek

by look_turtles



Series: Walter [2]
Category: due South
Genre: Due South Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-10
Updated: 2012-09-10
Packaged: 2017-11-13 23:49:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/509096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/look_turtles/pseuds/look_turtles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damien likes to knit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dziadek

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Dziadek is polish for grandfather

The summer sun beat down on Chicago. The hard packed dirt ground in Shady Acres Mobil Home Park was as dry and cracked as any desert. The flowers Barbara Kowalski kept in ceramic pots next to her mobile home were wilted.

Shady Acres might have had acres and acres of shiny metal mobile homes, but it was anything but shady. Not having a single tree in the entire park would do that. It did however have the Kowalskis. 

Inside the mobile home the walls were covered with fake wood paneling and brown shag covered the floor. A pull down couch was attached to one wall, its cushions were pale yellow with peacocks on them.

Damien was sitting on said couch, a bead of sweat slid down his neck. The air was hot and stuffy. The air conditioner was whirring, but all it seemed to do was crank out hot air. Even when he had lived in Arizona he dreaded the heat.

He sighed and picked up his knitting. If he couldn't be comfortable at least he could be busy. He was knitting Ray a new poncho. The old poncho had been ruined by a Constable named Turnbull who had spilled cheese sauce down the front of it.

Every time he picked a pair of knitting needles he always thought of his grandfather; Dziadek Kowalski had brought knitting over from the old country and Damien would always remember the time they spent knitting together. He still remembered the disappointment he had felt when Ray's first and only time knitting had ended with Ray throwing his needles at the wall in frustration. At least the both liked working on cars.

As he worked, every now and then he would glance over at his grandson. Walter was laying on the floor playing with his plastic dinosaurs. Damien still didn't quite understand how two men could have a kid, but if half of what Ray told him was true (he still didn't believe that anyone could use a fire extinguisher as a jet pack) than weirdness followed Constable Fraser around like a shadow.

He really didn't understand how Ray could go from loving women to loving a man, but he seemed happy and as Barbara always reminded him that that was the important thing.

'Whatcha doing?' Walter asked as he came up and sat on the couch next to Damien.

Walter rested his head on Damien's side and Damien sat down his knitting and combed his fingers through Walter's blond curly hair. He remember doing the same thing with Ray when Ray was a little boy.

'I'm knitting a poncho.'

'Phenomenal. Dziadek will you teach me how to knit?'

Damien looked over at his grandson. Walter looked so serious that it was hard to believe he was only five.

'You really want to learn, don't you?'

Walter nodded. 'Yep.'

'Coolness. First you have to learn to cast on,' Damien said as he picked up an empty pair of needles and a skein of yarn.  
************

Over the next few months, Damien taught Walter everything he knew about knitting and Walter soaked it up like a blond haired sponge. No matter what he was shown, whether it was working in the round or how to make clothes, Walter could knit anything and Damien just grinned ear to ear as he watched his grandson work. 

One gray, windy day Damien decided to take Walter to his favorite yarn store.

As they walked down the street Walter would splash in puddles while wearing his red rain coat and matching rain boots. He looked so much like Ray that Damien felt a ping of guilt. He had wasted so much time being mad at Ray for becoming a police officer and Damien knew that he could never get that time back. At least now he didn't have to worry about the stink of bad people sticking to Ray. Fraser seemed to wear goodness like his uniform.

They arrived at the yarn store. It was a red brick building with a wooden sign that had A World of Crafts painted on it in gold letters. Damien pushed open the door and a small bell tinkled.

Damien held Walter's tiny hand as they made their way through the store. The scent of cinnamon tickled Damien's nose.

The store was full of rows and rows of fabric in every color and pattern one could think of. In the back, on wooden shelves sat skein upon skein of yarn. Everything from wool yarn to acrylic yarn with names like Daffodil Yellow, Winter White and Apple Red sat on those shelves.

Once they got to the yarn Damien looked down at Walter, his eyes were wide. Damien watched as Walter ran his fingers across the yarn. He picked up a skein of yellow wool and held it in his hands, rubbing his fingers against it.

'You like that one?'

Still rubbing the yarn, Walter looked up. 'Yep. I wanna make a sweater for Dief and he prefers yellow. Do you think that's a good idea?'

Damien grinned. 'I think that's an excellent idea.'

Walter selected a few more skeins, some knitting needles and a stitch counter in the shape of a frog and went with Damien to the front of the store.

'Damien. Buying more yarn I see,' May Lou said as she rang up the purchase.

'Actually it's for my grandson.'

Mary Lou adjusted her glasses and looked down at Walter. Walter hid himself behind Daniem's leg.

'Oh. Is that handsome young man your grandson? What's your name?'

Walter peeked out from behind Damien's leg. 'My name is Walter. What's yours?'

'I'm Mary Lou.'

'It's very nice to meet you.'

'Oh, so polite. Do you like to knit?'

'Yep. I enjoy it very much.'

'Wonderful,' Mary Lou said as she finished ringing up the purchases.

'Now Damien I hope you bring Walter around more often.'

'I will,' Damien said as he pulled out his wallet and payed.

As Damien and Walter walked outside the sun came out and Damien raised his face and let himself be warmed. He heard Walter splash in a puddle and felt himself grin. He was lucky to have Walter in his life and not just because he had someone to share knitting with.


End file.
